Information Technology Companies

Introduction Information technology is probably the most dynamic sector in any economy. What is new and essential today may not be important the following day. Various new technologies are discovered each and every day. Moreover, due to the dynamic nature of the business environment, requirements of each business entity keep on changing now and again.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Information Technology Companies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, information technology companies are faced by a trick scenario of ensuring that they improve their services as time goes by. If creativity is not part of the vision of an information technology firm, then there is no need of the firm being in business. Customers need to get the latest technology and a firm that is able to come up with new technologies takes all businesses. Consequently, the managerial strategies used in information technology firm are very crucial. Special Requirements of Information Technology Firms The dynamic nature of human needs makes the world of technology to change rapidly. In this regard, information technology companies will have to enhance their skills so as to meet the changing needs. Consequently, innovation is crucial for any company that deals with information technology. To meet this criterion, firms need to find ways of encouraging ingenuity among their employees. For example, though critics argue that Google has been lagging behind in terms of innovation, the fact is that Google comes up with new ideas every so often (Morden, 2007). Self driving cars, Google glass, Google maps, Android just to name but a few are among the most influential innovations by Google which are as a result of employees being encouraged to be creative (Sutherland 2012). It is also important to note that Google comes up with innovations on issues that affect many people in society. Moreover, information technology fir ms should be keen on ensuring that their products can be used on various devices that are commonly used, this include phones and other electronic gadgets. Innovativeness also helps in boosting confidence of consumers thus increasing its market control.Advertising Looking for research paper on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, an information technology firm needs to manifest itself as a market leader in the information technology sector. On the other hand, information technology companies have to invest in other projects that are not among their core business but which are of important value to people. This may include research on alternative sources of energy (Ledel Stoll 2013). Using its innovativeness in various projects that benefit the common person boosts it ranking among people. Different Managerial Styles There are different managerial styles that can be applied by managers. To begin with, there are those managers who dictate what they want to be done in the organization. These types of managers tend to think that they know everything and there is nothing that any person can tell them. If an employee does not do what these managers say they are bound to be in trouble with the manager. To these managers, threat and discipline is the method to ensure that employees agree with them. The manager set rules and expects employees to follow them to the latter (Grembergen, 2004). The method has various disadvantages one of them being that it does not allow employee learning to take place. Moreover, it makes employees feel intimidated. Employees will work only when the manager is around to oversee them, otherwise they will stop working. Nevertheless, it is the most appropriate method during crisis.  Another type of management that is mostly applied is the authoritative strategy. This is managerial strategy where the manager acts as a director while employees complete their tasks individually (Morden, 2007). Managers practicing this type of marketing strategy are likely to use performance evaluation as a means of motivating employees to enhance their output. However, these managers are known to be firm but a little flexible. It is the best managerial system to use when the job in question needs clear guidelines and employees are knowledgeable of their roles (Chew Gottschalk, 2009). Nevertheless if employees are new and they do not know the procedure well, this type of managerial system will most likely lead to losses.  Some managers are known to be highly flexible and allow each member of the team to contribute in any decision that is made. Before a decision is made, all members of the concerned department should agree. Rewards are part of this managerial strategy with good performers being rewarded. It builds a sense of belonging by allowing all employees to make inputs thus motivating them to work hard. Many people like to work in an environment where they are trea ted as part of the organization and not as outsiders (Grembergen, 2004). The benefit of this management style is that it encourages team work.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Information Technology Companies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the same note, work cannot stop when a manager is not present since members are used to work on their own. However, in times of crisis this system is not effective. Additionally, it cannot be the best strategy to use in case of implementing a new idea. Another management strategy is the coaching style. Here, the manager works hard to ensure that employees develop their talent areas. The manager aims at discovering the gifts of each employee and maximize on the same (Ledel Stoll, 2013). The management style provides a lot of opportunities for career development which highly motivates employees. On the same note, self development as well as training of employees is allowed under this management strategy. On the other hand, the management style’s success depends on the expertise of the manager and will therefore not work in cases where managers are not well trained. Applicability to Information Technology Firms After discussing the various types of management strategies available, it is high time we discuss which of the strategies is applicable for information technology firms. It has been highlighted that information technology firms require high degree of ingenuity in order to meet the changing human needs. As a result, mechanical management style will not be applicable. Employees need flexible management regulations so that they can feel safe to try any new idea that they come up with. It should be the role of employees to determine the best way to execute their duties (Sutherland, 2012). Arguably, ingenuity is highly dependent on the easiness with which one can execute his or her duties. It is, therefore, clear that democracy is vit al as it regards management in information technology firms. Dictatorial type of management will require that each employee only does what the managers say and this will kill the morale of creativity (Case, 2007). It should be noted that attitude of employees determines their behavior at work and by extension their degree of ingenuity. Another factor that boosts performance in many information technology firms is the way their personnel is recruited and handled. The recruitment is done in a vigorous way that ensures only best talents are brought into the company. While it is a norm in other companies that recruitment is strictly an exercise of top management and other employees, especially junior ones have no role; information technology companies should be different.Advertising Looking for research paper on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Each employee should be given an opportunity of evaluating and giving his or her comments regarding a new employee. A system should be in place which allows all employees to comment about any employee that is about to be recruited (Sutherland 2012). As a result, the possibility of getting the best employees is high thus enhancing efficiency of the company. Moreover, it is a well known fact that when employees are allowed to contribute to various issues, their satisfaction is enhanced which enhances their productivity. Employees cannot optimally contribute to an organization if they feel that they are not valued. In this regard, involvement of employees in the process of evaluating a new employee boosts their morale though they are not part of the final interview panel. On the same note, employees working in a relaxed environment enhance their creativity adding to the company’s innovativeness (Stewart, 2013). The fact that all employees are encouraged to be innovative and come up with new ideas enhances their willingness to work for a company thus reducing labor turnover rate. In addition, all employees at the firm should be paid according to their performance. Performance evaluation is supposed to be impartial and just. Justice and equal treatment of all employees should be the slogan. Moreover, extraordinary performance requires equitable reward whether on personal or group basis. In this way the loyalty of employees is enhanced while at the same time their output is increased. Employees are able to access free services which are also of high quality. Leaves and offs should also be very accommodative. On the same note, there should be a lot of other recreational facilities to increase satisfaction of employees (Stewart 2013). This will in the end increase the probability of employees coming up with new ideas and products for their customers. Most of the employees in Information technology firms are in the technical sector. As a matter of fact, technica l people work best when they are only guided and left to carry out the duties on their own. In this regard, a mixture of participative and coaching leadership strategies is the best way of managing the technical staff. However, technical department is not the only department in information technology firms. There are other departments which include the financial departments (Ledel Stoll, 2013). Some of these departments require everything to be done in a particular order and deviation from these will lead to losses to the firm. Managers of these departments need a strict manager who will ensure that all protocols are followed to the latter. Consequently, the leadership style that should be applied in any information technology firms should depend on departmental needs and requirements. Strategic Human Resource Management Any given strategy that is chosen by a firm should take into consideration the effects it may have on the operations of the firm after implementation. In this ligh t, the relationship between the organizational culture and structure is very essential in ensuring that smooth running of the company is not affected whenever a new strategy is introduced (Case, 2007). It should be noted that for the intended strategy to be effectively realized during implementation, the environment in which the firm is operating should be given serious attention. On top, strategies, structure and culture are so much entangled that a change in one requires the others also to be changed so as to avoid friction in the operations of the firms. Consequently, though a strategy is developed at a specific point in time, its implementation goes on continuously to ensure that it catches up with the changes in structure and culture (Morden, 2007). For multinational companies, differences in national culture are very essential and must always be put into consideration whenever any strategy is introduced. However, company structure must be maintained when both culture and strat egy are being addressed in order to ensure that company goals are achieved.  Job satisfaction plays an important role in ensuring that service offered to customers are of high quality. Any firm should therefore ensure that employee satisfaction is achieved through motivation, which is part of its organizational culture (Chew Gottschalk, 2009). This is achieved through special focus on the health and welfare of the employees as well as protection from unexpected life styles after being employed.  Since culture plays an important role in any firm’s activities, any firm should not try to force an organizational structure of one region to another region. As a result, implementation of an organizational structure that is compatible with local cultures is essential. Additionally, firms should employ democratic type of management where employees also give their ideas concerning what should be done besides them being allowed to make some decisions as a team (Grembergen, 2004). T his enables the firm to motivate employees as well as enhancing employee empowerment. On top, this management style enables the implementation of any strategy to be achieved easily since it builds a sense of belonging among the employees besides fostering the organizational culture. To any firm, labor is the most priced input as it actually determines the running of the day-to-day activities of a firm. Firms should invest a great deal on matters affecting its employees and their welfare while they are working with them. Employees’ satisfaction is paramount. Consequently, everything should be done to ensure that the employees are comfortable (Stewart, 2013) Employees will be willing to work in a firm where they feel that their needs are given serious attention and they will want to stay longer in these firms. Once employees have been hired into a firm, a relationship is established whereby the hierarchy of needs satisfaction is the guide. Employees should be built and groomed continuously through inside trainings and other workshops. On top of that employees also need to be given incentives like rewards and benefits to improve their attitude towards their responsibilities therefore increasing their probability of stay with an organization (Sutherland, 2012). Arguably, promotions should be given depending on the performance of a person and other more measurable factors, which makes the process open and transparent. This not only motivates employees to deliver to their maximum, but also satisfies them that their efforts will not go to waste thus encouraging them to continue working for the company. Health of employees should be paramount to management, as well as the change in lifestyle due to joining the workforce of the organization. Moreover, besides employees having to individually strive to attain their laid down goals, they should be encouraged to work as a team for better results (Morden, 2007). Their suggestions to the management about what they fe el should be done should be taken into consideration whenever decisions are made. This helps in creating a sense of belonging among the employees which is an important factor in retaining employee. Every human resource manager wants to have people who can help the company to move forward. Big companies especially multinational firms face a lot of challenges when it comes to recruitment and selection. In some countries, strict adherence to company values is paramount. However, in other countries, professional qualification is crucial (Case, 2007). Human resource managers have also to change their age requirements depending on the country they are operating given that different cultures give emphasis to different age sets.  Employees need to be continuously trained so that they can develop their skills and improve their performance. It is the initiative of human resource managers to determine who will go for training and when. While some people will be comfortable with mechanical tr aining schedules where management has the final say on who will be trained, others like to be trained on their own initiative. Consequently, human resource managers are usually faced with the challenge of determining which procedure to use (Stewart, 2013). It is important to note that the problem is complicated by the fact that people from different cultural backgrounds work in the same branch yet they demand different treatment. Most importantly, human resource management is about managing people in a given institutional setting. However, geographical dispersion means that people from different cultural and religious backgrounds are employed in the same organization (Lendel Stoll, 2013). In addition, these people usually have different moral and ethical behaviors. Human resource managers are expected to treat all employees without discrimination while at the same time religious and cultural backgrounds should be given consideration. Managing these people is a daunting task for man agers of both international and local firms. Emerging Issues Information technology is changing very first and a firm cannot afford to be static. As a result, many firms are doing all they can to ensure that they develop new products before the others. However, the problem is that nowadays technological leaking is very high. If a firm does not guard its technology properly, the information will leak to the competitor who will produce the product very fast. On the same note, globalization has led to increased demands for information technology. Products that were anciently designed for one region only are now used in the globe. In this regard, employees are coming from different cultural backgrounds (Chew Gottschalk, 2009). Managers are expected to guide all these employees to enhance their creativity while at the same time respecting their cultural background. Similarly, expectations of people are changing each and every day. It is, therefore, tricky for managers for they have to e nsure new products are produced each day. If a firm is not able to come up with products to meet consumers’ needs, the blame is placed on managers. Conclusion Management strategies determine to a larger extent the success of any firm. Therefore, each firm should ensure that the management strategy that is being used is acceptable by everybody in the firm. For the case of information technology firms, they have different requirements for each department. Technical departments which are arguably the most vital department require democratic managerial strategy. It, therefore, goes without saying that participative managerial style is the most effective for the technical team. As a result having one managerial style for the whole firm will not work. Each department should have a managerial strategy as per the needs of the department. References Case, G. (2007). Service Management Strategies That Work: Guidance for Executives. Hogeweg: Van Haren Publishing. Chew, E. K. Gottschalk , P. (2009). Information Technology Strategy and Management: Best Practices. Hershey: IGI Global. Grembergen, W. V. (2004). Strategies for Information Technology Governance. Hershey: Idea Group Inc. Ledel, J. Stoll, J. (2013). Spotify CEO: eating Google’s lunch and loving it. The Wall Street Journal, 43(2), B7. Morden, T. (2007). Principles of Strategic Management. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing. Stewart, J. B. (2013, March 15). Looking for a lesson in Google’s perks. The new York Times. Web. Sutherland, A. (2012). The story of Google. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. This research paper on Information Technology Companies was written and submitted by user Parker Holder to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

14 Incredibly Shocking Confessions from Nurses

14 Incredibly Shocking Confessions from Nurses Being a nurse is a tough job, but somebody has to do. When you’re dealing with hundreds of patients a day, you’ve got to develop a tough exterior and occasionally break the rules. Here are 14 confessions from nurses who went the â€Å"extra mile†.  Ã‚  Ã‚   [Source: Imgur]

The Tet Offensive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

The Tet Offensive - Essay Example The â€Å"Tet Offensive† of 1968 has been widely referred to a moment that defined future policy, political as well as public opinion on the War in Vietnam. The offensive formed the biggest series of confrontations during the war. On the night of January 30th, Vietcong troops launched massive surprise attacks on twenty-eight provincial capitals in South Vietnam. The assaults targeted major U.S as well military installations belonging to the South Vietnam Army. The President’s palace at Hue and America’s Embassy were some of the targets of assault in the plan. Vietcong troops did not completely take control of any city, the lost approximately 15,000 of their troops but they successfully completed the mission. They were able to show the force that disenchanted public opinions in both America as well as South Vietnam on the war.The offensive demonstrated clearly that Vietcong was not about to surrender and more importantly that Allied troops could not guarantee the safety of civilians. The U.S military was successful in curtailing the offensive but in the eye of the public, it was a major defeat for the U.S and Allied troops by the way they were caught by surprise. Major players in the Tet Offensive were the Viet Cong and North Vietnam Army launching assaults on South Vietnamese troops, US forces and allied troops. The campaign was characterized by surprise assaults on military, civilian troops and centers of control in entire Southern Vietnam. communist forces orchestrated a well-coordinated series of attacks late in the night of January 30 on the 1st and 2nd Corps Tactical Zones of Southern Vietnam. the next morning saw countrywide attacks with over eighty thousand troops of the communists hitting over one hundred cities & major towns which included thirty-six of the forty-four provincial capitals, five autonomous cities out of six.

Referencing Skills and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Business law - Essay Example The judges have to judge the intention objectively. In all circumstances, a court has to ask whether in the circumstances a reasonable person would regard the agreement as it was intended to be binding. In any circumstance that a party in the case wants to prove for sure there was an intention to be legally bound, the party must present the evidence of the intention to the court and prove it beyond reasonable doubt. In the case Thomas v Thomas (1842) 2 QB 851, the case is about an action which was brought by a widow against the executor of her husband. The day that the husband died, he had stated that he clearly wanted his wife to get one of the houses for the rest of her life. He said that in front of his witnesses. After the husband died, his executors decided to attach a life interest in one of the houses. This was so if the wife agreed to pay one pound per rent and provided that she kept the house in good condition. After some time, the executor refused to totally complete the co nveyance as he had promised. It was ruled that the respect for the wishes of the testator was not sufficient for the consideration. In the case Ermogenous v Greek Orthodox Community of SA Inc (2002) 209 CLR 95, Ermogenous who was a Bishop made a claim to be paid money which he thought was a compensation for his service from the church he was serving, that is Greek Orthodox Community. In the first instance he succeeded in convincing the judges. But when the case was taken to Full Court of the Supreme Court of SA, the judges found that there was no intention of creating legal relations between the parties which were involved. In the case Placer Development Ltd v Commonwealth (1969) 121 CLR 353, High Court of Australia, P and D had an arrangement of forming a company. The operations of the company would involve the exportation and importation of timber. It was a rule by the Commonwealth that a subsidy to be paid on any timber for which the import duty was paid but not remitted on expor t. The court decided that there was no contract at all since the amount to be paid as subsidy by P and D was not specified. There was no implication that any reasonable subsidy was to be paid since there was no any standard by which subsidy was to be judged. Apply the law to the facts of the question in a detailed and logical manner As n agreement becomes enforceable by law when the two parties intend to be legally bound at the time they are making the agreement, there is a need of carrying out an objective assessment of the circumstances under which the agreement between Peter and Sally, and between Burt and Sally was made. The main question in this case is whether, in the circumstances, a reasonable person would regard the agreement between Sally and Peter and the agreement between Sally and Burt as enforceable contract. There is no sufficient evidence that there was a contract between Sally and Peter. This is because, in the first instance, Sally refused to reply the request of P eter to be sold the bicycle at $4000. Peter had requested for an immediate response. Given that Sally refused to reply immediately and she did so after some days, it therefore follows that there was no contract between Peter and Sally. Sally went ahead and delivered the bicycle to Peter without his consent, and he had

Analyze The Policies Of Tun Abdul Razak Period History Essay

Analyze The Policies Of Tun Abdul Razak Period History Essay On the other hand, he also established agencies such as the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), Malayan Industrial Development Finance (MIDF), and Council of Indigenous Peoples Trust (Majlis Amanah Rakyat, MARA). Furthermore, he changed Malaysias socioeconomic landscape through the New Economic Policy (NEP) during his premiership. This New Economic Policy was aiming at eliminating poverty and restructuring society by focusing not only on rural development, but also on education. Tun Abdul Razak played an important role in reestablishing the public identity of Malayan as he was also closely involved in the formation of Malaysia and its reconciliation with Indonesia. Due to his contribution to Malaysia and the public especially in development, he is known as the Father of Development. An Overview of Foreign Policy of Malaysia Since Independence, a variety of geographical, historical, social and political factors contribute to the shaping of Malaysias foreign policy that includes the conduct of the countrys international relations. The various determinants have become increasingly important in line with globalisation and in the advancement of communication and information technology (ICT). Although the nature of the foreign policy of our country is changing by time, the basic objective remains the same, which is to pursue the national interest at the international level and to ensure the continued prosperity and stability of our country. Examining Malaysias foreign policy since 1957, it is obvious that there are evolutionary changes characterised by notable differences in emphasis, which occurs with the change in Malaysias political stewardship and the need for political, economical and social stability. Under Tunku Abdul Rahman, our first Prime Minister, Malaysia is one of the anti-Communist and pro-western countries that also has close links to the Commonwealth due to the close adherence and relationship between British and us. After Tunku Abdul Rahman, we began to approach a foreign policy based on non-alignment, neutralization and peaceful co-existence, marked by it involvement in Non- Alignment Movement (NAM). Under Tun Abdul Razak, Malaysia began to identify itself as a Muslim nation in accordance with its involvement in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Trying to achieve true independence by seeking out friends beside British, Malaysia started to encourage investments from sources other than Br itish. During Tun Hussein Onns premiership, Malaysia played an important role as a member of ASEAN regarding the issue of the collapse of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) in 1975, the withdrawal of the US military presence from Southeast Asia and the invasion of Kampuchea (now Cambodia) by Vietnam. Malaysias foreign policy began to change dramatically when Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohammad took over as the fourth Prime Minister in 1981. It became more economy- oriented than what it had used to be, in line with its focus on building up a strong and nationalistic defense of the rights, interests and aspirations of developing countries. Under Tun Dr. Mahathir, there were a number of new initiatives, including treating Antarctica as the common heritage of mankind, the look east policy (LEP) that encourages Malaysians to learn from the positive values of Japanese and Koreans, reverse investment, East Asia Economic Caucus (EAEC), Group of 15 (G15)   ASEAN Mekong Basin Development Co-operation, Islamic Unity and the championing of the cause of developing countries on major issues like environment, human rights, and democracy. Dato Seri Abdulah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi has served as prime Minister and becomes the chairman of OIC, ASEAN, NAM for a period of time. Different foreign policy that comes under different prime ministers reflects a pragmatic response to the geopolitical and economic changes from time to time. A combination of being static but alterable according to the distinct needs at different moment as the main feature of our countrys foreign policy is a reflection of the development and maturation of our country in the conduct of its international affairs. In fact, in several occasions, Malaysias leadership has been recognised as one of the most influential. Malaysia has proved that it has possessed the quality of independence by depending less on foreign aid and courageous. Gradually, Malaysia has gained its fame as a politically, economically and socially stable country mainly due to its foreign policy. In short, Malaysia seeks to maintain the bilateral relations with almost all countries by upholding the principles of sovereign equality and mutual respect for territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each others internal affairs, peaceful settlement of disputes as well as mutual benefit in relations and peaceful co-existence. Re- Alignment in Foreign Policy The suspension of Parliament after the crisis of May 13th 1969 entailed the administration of the country by an emergency body, the National Operations Council (NOC/ MAGERAN), for a period of four years. Starting from May 1969, Tun Abdul Razak was considered as the Head of Government due to his position as the Director of Operations of NOC. However, he was reluctant to make any changes on the foreign policy as long as Tunku Abdul Rahman was still holding the premiership. Yet, he was convinced that Malaysias foreign policy which was then revolving around the pro- western democracies, could no longer sustain Malaysias needs. Once he took over the premiership, the foreign policy agenda of a politically reconstructed Malaysia was to be put in place then. The new Administration was clearly at pains to regain domestic (both Malaysia and non-Malay) and international confidence in Malaysias viability as a multiethnic state. The serious challenge to governments ability to govern Malaysian society caused a significant review of policies. The introduction of new strategies represented the first observable attempts to employ foreign policy to a domestic political purpose, to increase the stability and balance of economic and political dominance among all races. For example, the development of more extensive contacts with international Islamic activities was part of the post -1696 pattern of UMNO or government movement towards a more Muslim character while maintaining patterns accommodation with other races. Besides, there was also an issue referred by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as the apron- string complex. There were pressure and arguments on the type of relationship we should maintain between the former colonizers and our country. In addition, there was also an urgent need to take the middle stand between the two major power blocs in the world by then in order to establish significant Third World credentials. The British Military Power, once the major power in Southeast Asia, was facing a gradual rundown that would definitely caused the whole withdrawal of the power from the region. Nevertheless, at the moment, Malaysia still needed the Western allies due to its under- developed defense systems. That is the reason for in April 1970, Tun Abdul Razak who was still the Minister of Defense, subscribed to the Five- Power Defense Pact, signed in London with Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Britain. The turmoil in international and regional affairs was also one of the issues during the Razak administration. Prolonged United States involvement in Vietnam, the a complex geo-political challenge, particularly the rising of the neighborly countries such as Indonesia and India, both culturally and politically, the emergence of China as possessing the nuclear super- power and its re-entry to international diplomacy, the increasing influences of Japan on Asia especially in the fields of commerce, industry and finance, the renewed strength of Muslim states in the Middle East were indirectly shaping Malaysias foreign policy at the time. Moreover, Malaysia also had to deal with some regional security issues such as the Philippines claim over Sabah, the cooperation with Thailand to solve communist guerrillas in border area, the Thai treatment of Malay- Muslims in Southern Thailand and the relationships with Indonesia regarding to the navigation rights in the Melaka straits issue and the pos session of offshore oil resources. Tun Abdul Razak wondered about the strategies that Malaysia could adopt to cope with it. He felt that the emerging new countries in Africa and Asia should be cultivated. Besides, the ways that Malaysia managed these issues were also in the consideration as popular sentiment determined the perception of the outside world about Malaysia. It is important to create an image of Malaysia as an independent and free from foreign dominance country. When he took over his premiership, he began to implement his plans, elevating neutrality and non- alignment as our official foreign policy goals in order to ensure the future security and well- being of Malaysia. One of his goals was to achieve full neutralization of the whole of Southeast Asia while still maintaining a good relationships with the West by acquiring cooperation from the major powers that were concerned with this region, and also by identifying with the Third World of Afro- Asia including Latin American, South Pacific and Middle East . Another goal was to gain alliance with the ASEAN countries and to make sure that the region would be safer and freed from foreign military forces and also to maintain harmonious, peaceful and bilateral relationships with these neighbour countries. The Association of Southeast Asia (ASEAN) During the period of Tun Abdul Razak as the deputy prime Minister of Malaysia, there were only few organizations such as the ASA (Association of Southeast Asia) and the ASPAC (Asian Pacific Council). Tunku Abdul Rahman realized that there was no space for two organizations to work perfectly at the same time. Thus, in 1967, not long after the Confrontation dispute with Indonesia, five main country members including Adam Malik from Indonesia, Narciso Ramos from the Philippines, Tun Abdul Razak from Malaysia, S. Rajaratnam from Singapore and Thanat Khoman from Thailand held a meeting in Bangkok and eventually founded the ASEAN, in response to the failure of MAPHILINDO, for the strategic and security reasons. This is the Bangkok Declaration. Before the forming of ASEAN, Malaysia was facing the issues regarding to the claim made by the Philippines over Sabah as Sabah was once the territory of Sultanate of Sulu. Besides, Malaysia also had to deal with the Confrontation of Indonesia at Southern part of Malaysia. In line with the formation of ASEAN, many conflicts were resolved as the members of ASEAN come to agree that there were better solutions instead of confrontations and conflicts. By 1967, the open dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia was replaced by cooperation through the formation of ASEAN. In fact, the Philippines claim on Sabah was slow down after the formation of ASEAN. Tun Abdul Razak played an important role as he stood firmly in declining the Philippines claim on Sabah. From his point of view, it was a test for the new nation. Malaysian demanded for the withdrawal of the Philippines from Sabah even if they wanted to infiltrate Sabah with a special forces. The Malaysian government lodged a formal protest in September 1968. A meeting was held between Tuan Abdul Razak and Narciso Ramos in Bangkok. It seemed to be fruitless but they agree with a solution by having a cooling off period. Yet, matters went even worse when the Philippines claimed again over Sabah territory and its water. In addition, the Philippines Executive also accused the State Government of Sabah for infringing the Kuala Lumpur Declaration by interfering with its internal affairs such as smuggling arms and explosives in the Sulu Islands and Mindanao. This is an ongoing issue but without Tun Abdul Razak and the government, we may not have Sabah as a state in our country today. In February 1977, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, drafted initiatively by Tun Abdul Razak, to foster peaceful resolutions of disputes between ASEAN member countries was signed at the ASEAN summit conference in Bali. Another issue that had a big impact on Malaysia was the idea of the communism. The formation of ASEAN was mainly for strategic and security reasons and political stability among the ASEAN countries. To prevent ASEAN countries from being colonized, threatened or involving in communism, ASEAN bind all the countries together to have a neutralized stance. The early formation of ASEAN was to prevent all war involving ASEAN countries, to focus in economic growth and also to rebuild and recover after World War II. Federation of Malaya, by the time, had just came out from the confrontation of Indonesian and the state of emergency, without the idea of ASEAN and the co-operation among the ASEAN countries for the economical support, Malaysia would not be able to survive throughout the whole early period before and after the formation of Malaysia. Neutralization and Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) Since Tun Abdul Razak assumed his position as the second prime minister of Malaysia, neutralization had become the key element of Malaysias foreign policy. The proposal of neutralization under Tun Abdul Razak had two levels of implementation. The first level specified that Southeast Asian nation-states adopt and practice non- aggression and non- intervention principles based on mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, besides reaching out to ensure harmony and security among themselves. The second level of implementation involved the major superpowers at the time, the United States, China, and the Soviet Union, were singled out as prospective guarantors for ensuring that the Southeast Asian region would not become an area for conflict among these major countries. In addition, the superpowers were also called on to take the role of supervising to ensure the neutrality of Southeast Asia. The declaration emphasized regional cooperation to strengthen the economic and soc ial stability of the region to ensure peaceful and progressive national developments. Since 1970, Malaysia has been practicing non- interference policy or the exception policy to create a bilateral good relationships with many countries, without involving itself in the complications of super- power such as Russia and United States. ZOPFAN (Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality), originated in a 1970, a proposal by Tun Abdul Razak, was one of the efforts made for the purpose of neutralizing Southeast Asia, to be free from any form of external interference and to create a region that has lasting peace, freedom and prosperity. In October 1971, Tun Abdul Razak proposed his plan for neutralization to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He received a lot of encouragement and acceptance. He managed to arrange a meeting with four other ASEAN countries to hold a meeting in Kuala Lumpur on November 26th and 27th. The result was the Kuala Lumpur Declaration, an issue of a joint communiquà © that included a declaration of all ASEAN countries by the time to cooperate and work together to gain the recognition and respect for Southeast Asia as ZOPFAN. The Malaysian Government under the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministership of Tun Razak and Tun Ismail organized a chain of diplomatic campaigns to have the Malaysian initiative adopted and accepted by the other non- ASEAN Southeast Asia countries for the need of a neutralized Southeast Asia. He called for a greater regional cooperation and warned people about the danger and risk of the existence and intention of super- powers. During the 3rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on 16 December 1969, he stressed the importance of regional cooperation and regional solidarity through self-help and collective efforts. Tun Abdul Razak did not cease his personal effort in implementing the idea of ZOPFAN to a wider area including those countries that were not ASEAN members. In 1974, he made an official visit to Burma to convince President U Ne Win about neutralization. Although Burmese remained skeptical and Indo-China was about to be ruled by communists, Tun believed and was convinced that in the future, these countries would embrace neutralization. However, ZOPFAN had not progressed very much beyond the conceptual beginnings and terms set down during the Bali meeting in 1976. ZOPFAN remains an intra-ASEAN policy, but over the years, the principles of the proposal and the subsequent Treaty of Amity and Concord have been contravened by non-ASEAN states. In 1990s, after reviewing the relevancy of ZOPFAN, some analysts believed that the concept of ZOPFAN seems increasingly irrelevant in the post-Cold War era and it was merely a statement of principle rather than a plan for effective actions. ZOPFAN was extremely limited in the contribution it can make toward the shaping or formulation of security arrangements and other such forms of regional cooperation among the member states of ASEAN. Non- Alignment Movement (NAM) Tun Abdul Razak made a couple of significant changes in Malaysias foreign policy. One of his fundamental moves was the decision to join NAM (Non-Aligned Movement). NAM was considered by the Razak administration as a major discussion for consultations and management of positions on political and economic issues to determine an international order that were of importance among the almost two- thirds of the sovereign developing countries of the world. To understand why Tun Abdul Razak decided to actively be a member of NAM, remember that NAM emerged during the collapse of the colonial system in Asia and Africa and the emergence of independent countries from colonization and imperialism. As the name implies, NAM members follow a strict non-alignment policy, did not favor both democratic bloc and communist bloc. NAM countries promote self-determination, national independence and sovereignty and territorial integrity. NAM countries also focus on strengthening the socioeconomic development as well as reconstituting international economic system. Tun Abdul Razak, practiced a non-alignment policy by establishing ZOFPAN. He believed that the joining of Malaysia into NAM can prove the stance of Malaysia, which chose to be non-aligned with any powers of block. During the period of Tun Abdul Razak as the Foreign Minister, Malaysia was officially brought into the fold of the Movement as a member country with its participation in the Informal Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of NAM at New York on 27th September 1969. Consequently, the Malaysian Delegation, led by Tun Abdul Razak as the new Prime Minister, attended its first ever Summit as a member country at the 3rd NAM Summit in Lusaka, Zambia from 8th until 10th September 1970. To strengthen Malaysias determination and pursuit of disentanglement, Tun Abdul Razak led the delegation of Malaysia to the Fifth Conference of Heads of State of Government of NAM Countries at Colombo in the year of 1976. In the political aspects, NAM members agreed to condemn Zionists violent action against Palestinians. Zionist (Israel) persistently continued his hostile racist and unlimited expansionary policy in Palestine boundaries. As a Muslim, Tun Abdul Razak paid sympathy and condemnation against Israelis actions. NAM also agreed that this situation posed a threat to international security and peace. As the same time, Tun Abdul Razak wanted to create a closer relationship with Muslim countries. This gave Tun Abdul Razak a greater chance and higher reputation, since Muslim countries also disagreed with Zionists brutal action against Palestine. Another issue that helped Tun Abdul Razak to proven his role in Asian is the issues of United States, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic and Vietnam. As a prominent figure in South East Asian, Tun Abdul Razak was working hard to make South East Asian a free-alignment zone, free from any alien powers. By the time the fifth conference was held, Vietnam had a successful birth as Socialist Republic of Vietnam, while Lao Peoples Democratic Republic had freed from United States attack. NAM celebrated the struggle of the country to fight against Imperialism by United States. To make sure that Malaysia stood in the side of Vietnam, joining NAM and agreeing with the resolution was the right actions. This act, therefore, would bring confidence to South East Asian countries to join Tun Abdul Razaks plan to made South East Asian a free and neutral region. In the economic context, Tun Abdul Razak, which at that time had visions to develop Malaysia, has made a right path by joining NAM, which clearly paralleled with his visions and missions. Malaysia, which was going step by step to neutralize from big powers (bloc), would surely suffer in terms of economic if they continued to do so. By far, most underdeveloped and developing countries still depend on big powers for economic support, and these policy had never made them any better; economic discrimination, along with imperialism, colonialism and apartheid would never place a big space for these countries to developed. Malaysia had made the right step to gradually become independence in terms of economic and sovereignty by joining NAM. The Relationship with China The most recent historical perspective of bilateral Malaysia-China relations is relevant for todays situation. This is due to the fact that the relation of China and Malaysia and also with other Southeast Asian countries was complicated by two problems. According to Malaysia, Southeast Asia and the Emerging China: Political, Economic and Cultural Perspectives; one had been the Beijings policy towards Malaysian of Chinese origin and the other is its policy towards the Communist Party of Malaya. Unlike the establishment of diplomatic relations with other countries such as for example African countries whereby communities of Chinese ancestors and African communist parties linked closely to China didnt have any issues that complicated matters so much. Thus, these two factors played a prominent role in playing in the establishment o diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia. In 1949, communism took over China. They, at that time didnt think of a clear policy towards Southeast Asians of Chinese origin. Instead, they continued the previous Kuomintang government which was to consider as Chinese those who had a grandfather who was a Chinese citizen. This caused numerous difficulties with other countries which just obtained their independence from colonial rule. Those new countries did not want to deal with citizens that came from other countries, especially China. However, the Chinese communist were enthusiastic to have diplomatic relations with these new nations especially those that were not seen as Western allies. Most the Chinese in Malaysia had embraced Malaysian citizenship and were already integrated in Malaysian polity by 1974. Again, according to Malaysia, Southeast Asia and the Emerging China: Political, Economic and Cultural Perspectives; it has been suggested that one reason Tun Razak wanted to establish diplomatic relations with China was an attempt on part of Barisan National to win Malaysian Chinese votes for a general election that was expected to be declared after he came back from China. UMNO leaders were confident of their loyalty to use the China card. However, there were still problems regarding the citizenship issue. Many Chinese in Malaysia still could not obtain their Malaysian citizenship and therefore were so-called stateless Chinese. It was feared that they could complicate the negotiations between Malaysia and the Chinese communist authorities. The Chinese communist government couldnt openly abandon them. But both parties really wanted to develop diplomatic ties so in 1974, Tun Razak and Premier Zhou En-lai signed the join communiquà ©. And in that draft, there was no mention of this group of Chinese beyond the usual urging by the Chinese premier that Chinese residents in Malaysia should respect Malaysian laws and customs. Besides that, there were other reasons Malaya wanted to establish diplomatic ties with China was that was due to regional strategic causes and economic reasons as well. According to Malaysia: Fifty Years of Diplomacy, in May 1971 a trade mission went to China at the invitation of the Chinese Governments National Foreign Trade Corporation. The outcome of this initiative was that China agreed to buy an entire stockpile of the Malaysian Rubber Fund Board. Apart from that, China also agreed to purchase an additional150,000 tons of rubber a year at average market prices. After almost a year later, in March 1972, the China National Chemical Export and Import Corporation invited a rubber technical advisory mission from Malaysia to visit China for two weeks. Malaysias recently established national trading corporation, PERNAS sponsored a 60-member trade delegation to the Canton Spring Fair in April 1972. Besides that, Malaya also developed a relationship with China based on other levels such as sports and medical exchanges throughout 1971 and 1972. This clearly shows that Malaysia really wanted to demonstrate its goal to achieve wide understanding with this growing power. Chinas formal membership in the UN and President Nixons visits to China was kind of triggered Malaysias initiative to have diplomatic relations with China. Malaysia then decided to begin a dialogue with China with a view to normalization of relations. The discourse began in June 1973 and the first few meetings showed Malaysias seriousness in the negotioations. Those who represented Malaysia were Zain Azraai (representing Prime Ministers Office), Khor Eng Hee (Wisma Putra) and Ahmad Kamil Jaafar (Deputy Permanent Representative). On the other hand, the person who represented China was their Ambassador, Huang Hua. Even though both sides expectations were opposed, the Malaysians were still able to persuade the Chinese to accept a package deal in which Malaysias main concerns were satisfied. The perception of China as a threat to Malaysia began to change from the mid 1980s onwards. This was a result of many factors. One was due to the increasing acceptance by the Malaysian government and the Malaysian Chinese were well integrated in Malaysian polity. Any further opening towards China such as allowing Malaysians to visit China with the same degree of freedom they were permitted to travel to any other friendly country. Besides that, it was also encouraged for Malaysia to enhance business ties with China. Due to that, it would not have negative domestic political consequences. In conclusion, ties between China and Malaysia have been complicated by the issue of Beijings policy towards Southeast Asian of Chinese descent since 1949, especially by its support by the Communist Party in Malaya. However, these two factors did not prevent both of these countries from having diplomatic relations. But from 1980s onwards, the two factors mentioned began to dissolve when the Chinese were taken consideration into the local polity and when the Communist Party of Malaya decided to surrender back in 1989. Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is an international organization with a permanent delegation with the United Nations. It happened to be an idea of the first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman in 1969 and Malaysia has officially joined the organization since then. The succeeding government of Tun Abdul Razak reaped advantage from his leadership role. With more than 25 countries became the members of OIC before 1970, Tun Abdul Razak had become a second man by carrying on the idea made the first Prime Minister. In fact, this capable leader was persisted in the policies of Tunku Abdul Rahman in the organization. Apart of being renowned in Malaysian New Economic Policy (DBP), Tun Abdul Razaks foreign policy had been a great success from his efforts in the OIC. First of all, he was acknowledged with conspicuousness of Muslim Nation. Under Tun Abdul Razak, as a member of the particular organization, Malaysia began to identify itself as a Muslim nation. Even though there were three races in the country, he wanted to establish and recognize Malaysia as one single country. Indeed, it has been one up to the present. More or less, this situation had strengthened the Malaysian support towards the liberation of Palestine at that time. As Islam is the official religion of our country and the actual religion of the Malays, most contemporary leading politicians were Malays; thus, in various Arab- Israeli conflicts, despite Malaysias policy towards neutralization, the government encourage monetary contribution and volunteers from the public to aid the Palestinians during the Arab- Israeli war in October 1 973. Tun Abdul Razak also held responsible for Malaysias agreement for Islamic Charter of OIC in 1972. As a result of this, he had given birth to a clean international Islamic image for a new country like Malaysia at that particular moment. Furthermore, this second Prime Minister had emphasized the pragmatism of OIC. It was his idea to come out with economically supportive Islamic Organization to the members of the OIC. In the 5th Islamic Conference, he used to stress the importance for the OICs members to promote and regard Islam as a religion of steadfast progression and human modernization. In a sense, the idea involved the constitution of economic and technical cooperation, the broadening of trade, investments schemes and its members, better and improved deployment of Islamic Development Bank (IDF) funds within the Islamic world, and the modification on the system of Islamic education. As a result, there was a sharp boost in the volume of bilateral trade between Malaysia and Middle Eastern countries. The increasing volume $172 million in 1969 to $654 million in 1974 in trade is a clear evident for this case. As a matter of fact, Malaysia was considered as one of the top ten countries to be exempted from oil cutbacks during the global energy crisis in 1973. The mission to attract foreign investment through the establishment of foreign policies was also proven successful through the funding of oil-producing Arab countries in the constructions of mosques and religious schools in Malaysia. The Secretariat for the development of Ummah during the 1970s was liable for those kinds of modernizations. In a nutshell, Tun Abdul Razak contributed a lot to Malaysians development in terms of its foreign policy. It was him who initially practiced commercial bond between Malaysia and other Islamic nations, coupled with his ability to serve a respectful image of Malaysias name throughout the world and preserved Malaysias cerebral policies towards a nations freedom. At this point, he had moved Malaysia one step forward to the present Malaysia. Overall influences of the foreign policy on Malaysia Political Effects The existence of ZOPFAN in line with the foreign policy goal to achieve neutralization has contributed to an agreement formed between Malaysia and South East Asia (ASEAN) with other foreign powers, which in turn freed Malaysia and other ASEAN countries from any kind of violation and disturbance from the foreign power that wished to carry out the imperialism policy. In fact, foreign powers had actually promised to acknowledge and recognize the sovereignty and independence of the countries in this area Thus, the forming of ZOPFAN has provided ASEAN countries with an institutional framework and the sinews of future co-operations, emphasizing that ASEAN was free to embark on a journey to prove the viability of the philosophy of building regional resilience based on the respective national resilience of each of its Member Countries, anticipating an era of peace and co-operation. Despite the partial success of the p

Islam in morned times :: essays research papers

Mission Statement for The Study of Islam Section @ the American Academy of Religion The American Academy of Religion is the world's largest learned society and professional association of scholars and teachers in the field of religion. Through academic conferences, publications and a variety of program and membership services, the American Academy of Religion (AAR) fosters excellence in scholarship and teaching. It also aims to advance publication and scholarly communication on religion; to welcome multiple perspectives on the study of religion; to support racial, ethnic and gender diversity within the Academy; and to seek ways to contribute to the public understanding of religion. The AAR's annual meeting is held every year in late November and provides a lively and enabling context for free inquiry, disciplined reflection and scholarly exchange on the world's religions. The Study of Islam section is one of fourteen program units of the AAR and was officially recognized in 1986. It is one of the major sections of the AAR with a long-standing and committed participation of more than a hundred active members. One of the most diverse groups in the AAR, the section's presenters, panelists, and audience represent scholars at all stages of their academic careers. The section also features regular attendance and participation of international scholars from countries including Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa, and China. The Study of Islam section serves as a forum for current research on Islam. The annual meeting of the AAR sponsors at least five sessions related to the study of Muslim faith and practice as well as additional individual presentations on Islamic topics in other program units and sessions. The cultural and linguistic diversity, the regional and historical range, and the varieties of methodologies currently used in Islamic Studies make the section's offerings rich and diverse from year to year. The themes of the sessions fall under the following categories: 1. The study of Islamic texts and scriptures; 2. The study of lived Islam in various regions and cultures; 3. Methodology and approaches to the study of Islam; 4. Issues such as gender, liberation theology, human rights; 5. Specializations within Islamic studies including Mysticism, Law, Theology, Philosophy, Shi‘ism. Our policy is to encourage methodological sophistication, ideological diversity and inter-disciplinary discussion in our program. Shared sessions with other program units of the academy have encompassed fields such as Islamic Ethics, Gender, Islamic and Judaic Studies, and Islam and Academic Teaching, and the Study of Religion.